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Your Personal Injury Lawyer Here S 7 Tips To Help You Hire A Good Attorney Article
Your Personal Injury Lawyer - Here's 7 Tips to Help You Hire a Good Attorney
from: Arthur GueliYou'll need to hire a personal injury lawyer if you suffer an
injury that results in significant damages. But in any
given city, there are probably over 20 pages of personal
injury attorney listings in the phone book. How do you
pick the right one? What do you look for? What questions
should you ask?
Here are 7 things you should know before hiring your
injury lawyer...
1) The sooner you hire your lawyer the better. Begin looking
for your personal injury lawyer within a week or two after
your accident. If you're not physically capable you should
have a friend or loved-one start looking. The sooner you
start building your case the better.
2) Hire a personal injury lawyer that specializes in your
specific type of injuries. Do your homework before signing
the retainer agreement. Visit the firm's website and read
up on it's history and each lawyer's biographical
information. Ask the lawyer for some referrences and ask
how much experience they have in handling cases with similar
injuries. What settlement awards did they get in those cases?
3) Have a face-to-face meeting with your prospective lawyer.
Your personal injury lawyer is going to be your closest advisor
during this difficult time. You must feel comfortable and trust
your lawyer. The only way you'll get a feel for the lawyer is
by having a sit-down to discuss your case. Any good personal
injury lawyer will give you an initial consultation free of
charge.
4) Hire a lawyer that will take your case on a contingency fee
basis. This means that your lawyer won't get paid unless you
get paid. He will take his fee out of the money you receive
for your injuries. You can expect your lawyer to take about
33% of your final settlement - that's after expenses are taken
off the top. Make sure you clearly understand the payment
structure before you sign the retainer agreement.
5) Beware of ambulance chasers. The goal of these lawyers is
to get lots of minor personal injury cases and settle them
quickly - they make their profit from high turnover.
So naturally they won't put as much time and effort into
each case as they should. (If you're looking for a quick
settlement be prepared to accept less than what your case
is really worth.)
6) Hire a lawyer with a good Martindale-Hubbell rating.
This service evaluates lawyers in the U.S. and Canada based
on peer review. Their website, Martindale.com has a helpful
lawyer locator service and will explain the rating system.
7) Always be completely open and honest when discussing your
case with a lawyer. Tell the lawyer as much as you can about
what happened. Try to remember every detail. Any documentation
and pictures you have of your injuries and treatment will be
a big help when evaluating your case.
Bonus Tip:
8) NEVER give a recorded statement to a representative from
any insurance company until you've consulted a lawyer. When
the rep. asks for one simply say, "I'm not prepared to give
a statement at this time." A recorded statement can be used
as evidence and if you're not prepared you might overlook
important details. Anything you miss (or misrepresent) can
be used against you in settlement negotiations and in the
trial.
About the Author
Arthur Gueli works with his brother Charles (a licensed
personal injury attorney) teaching injured plaintiffs
how to obtain fair compensation for their damages.
Visit their website,
www.Injury-Settlement-Guide.com to learn more about how to
hire a good personal injury lawyer.